What are Hibernate fetch strategies?

Can you explain what Hibernate fetch strategies are?

Hibernate fetch strategies determine how related entities are loaded from the database. They control whether data is fetched eagerly or lazily.

What’s the difference between eager and lazy fetching?

Eager fetching retrieves related entities immediately with the main entity, while lazy fetching loads them only when accessed.

When should I use eager fetching?

Use eager fetching when you know you'll need the related entities right away, as it can reduce the number of database queries.

Are there any downsides to using eager fetching?

Yes, eager fetching can lead to performance issues if too much data is loaded at once, especially with large datasets.